Related papers: Surface state reconstruction in ion-damaged SmB_6
The century-long development of surface sciences has witnessed the discoveries of a variety of quantum states. In the recently proposed "obstructed atomic insulators", insulators with symmetric charges pinned at virtual sites where no real…
Spincoated polystyrene films of different thickness from 78 nm to 1.3 {\mu}m on silicon wafers were treated by nitrogen ions with an energy of 20 keV. Ellipsometric measurements and FTIR spectra showed modification of the surface layer…
We propose and study a continuum model for the dynamics of amorphizable surfaces undergoing ion-beam sputtering (IBS) at intermediate energies and oblique incidence. After considering the current limitations of more standard descriptions in…
We report a new approach for progressive and well-controlled downsizing of nanostructures below the 10 nm scale. Low energetic ion beam (Ar+) is used for gentle surface erosion, progressively shrinking the dimensions with ~ 1 nm accuracy.…
Understanding the nature of surface states and their exchange gaps in magnetic topological insulator MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ (MBT) thin films is crucial for achieving robust topological Chern and Axion insulating phases where the Quantum Anomalous…
We trap individual $^{171}$Yb$^+$ ions in a surface trap microfabricated on a silicon substrate, and demonstrate a complete set of high fidelity single qubit operations for the hyperfine qubit. Trapping times exceeding 20 minutes without…
On the proper timescale, amorphous solids can flow. Solid flow can be observed macroscopically in glaciers or lead pipes, but it can also be artificially enhanced by creating defects. Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) is a technique in which ions…
We report direct imaging of standing waves of the nontrivial surface states of topological insulator Bi$_2$Te$_3$ by using a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope. The interference fringes are caused by the scattering of the…
We report the observation of imaging beyond the diffraction limit due to bound surface states in negative refraction photonic crystals. We achieve an effective negative index figure-of-merit [-Re(n)/Im(n)] of at least 380, ~125x improvement…
Kondo insulators (KIs) are strongly correlated materials in which the interactions between 4f and conduction electrons lead to a hybridization gap opening at low temperature 1-2. SmB6 is a typical KI, but its resistivity does not diverge at…
The impact of surface morphology on electronic structure of topological crystalline insulators is studied theoretically. As an example, the structure of topologically protected electronic states on a (001) (Pb,Sn)Se surface with terraces of…
We report on the structural modifications induced by a lambda = 532 nm ns-pulsed high-power laser on sub-superficial graphitic layers in single-crystal diamond realized by means of MeV ion implantation. A systematic characterization of the…
We measure the electron conductivity of the surface states and the subsurface space charge layer originating from the Si(111)-4x1-In reconstruction as a function of temperature. The conductivity of the surface states drops sharply around…
The search for topological states in strongly correlated electron systems has renewed the interest in the Kondo insulator SmB6. One of the most intriguing previous results was an anomalous electron spin resonance spectrum in Gd-doped SmB6.…
The Mn-terminated (001) surface of the stable anti-ferromagnetic insulating phase of cubic perovskite CaMnO$_3$ is found to undergo a magnetic reconstruction consisting on a spin-flip process at surface: each Mn spin at the surface flips to…
Strongly correlated topological surface states are promising platforms for next-generation quantum applications, but they remain elusive in real materials. The correlated Kondo insulator SmB$_6$ is one of the most promising candidates, with…
There has been considerable interest in exploiting the spin degrees of freedom of electrons for potential information storage and computing technologies. Topological insulators (TI), a class of quantum materials, have special gapless…
We present results of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STS) measurements on the "Kondo insulator" SmB$_6$. The vast majority of surface areas investigated was reconstructed but, infrequently, also patches of varying size of…
Topological crystalline insulators are topological insulators whose surface states are protected by the crystalline symmetry, instead of the time reversal symmetry. Similar to the first generation of three-dimensional topological insulators…
Ion bombardment is known to enhance surface diffusion and affect the surface morphology. To quantify this phenomenon we calculate the ion-induced diffusion constant and its dependence on the ion energy, flux and angle of incidence. We find…